P A R A D E
by Saxima
Summary: Adventures. Lucky days. Heart rate. Ascending. Light and dark. Encounters. Life. Mutual love. Eight fragments from the lives of a shadow and the light that never stopped shining. [ Aomine x Kuroko • 2/10 chapters ]
1. P A R A D E

_Adventures. Lucky days. Heart rate. Ascending.  
Light and Dark. Encounters. Life. Mutual love._

* * *

{_ Burning heart of love, crossing a thousand dreams._  
_Running as you please, gripping the world in your hand._  
_The clouds disperse, the sun sets again . . ._  
_A one-person parade begins to move. _}

* * *

It's one of those rare days where he just lays on the grass and stares at the sky. Normally, he's active; always doing something even when no one notices that he's doing those things. Today, however . . . He does nothing.

That doesn't change that he still goes unnoticed. It's fine, he honestly thinks to himself. It's really nice sometimes, to go unnoticed, to be behind the scenes. His shadow, ever-growing large because of Kagami, is at peace with its position under the brightening light. Especially now that things with his former teammates are better. Not perfect. Never perfect, but on its way to being just fine.

They're a little uncooperative, and he's fixing things mostly alone, but it's been like that for a long time so he's used to it. It's not true what they say, he thinks, about one-person parades not working; all anyone needs is the bright colors and the passion. Kuroko has both of those things now. It could only go up from there. He would become a one-person parade that would never stop functioning, moving, and improving.

Improving. Kuroko smiles. ( He can even shoot now. )

A shadow can't stand alone, but maybe he isn't just a shadow anymore. He might have his own glimmer of dusky light. Credit was given where credit was due, and there was one person that he couldn't stop thinking about. Was it possible that it was thanks to another source of illumination that he was slowly nurturing his own? It started . . . It started with Kagami. Dim. Weak. A bit broken, really. Scared, but determined. ( It was almost nonexistent then. )

No. That was the aftermath. It really started with . . . Aomine. However, that was when he officially became a shadow. Invisible shackles had been put on him then, but he still followed his light – that fierce, burning will to cross a thousand worlds, reaching for a thousand dreams. Because of Aomine, he could run where he wanted. He could grab the world in his hands and hold it. ( Except not really. )

. . . All of those things that Kuroko could do were a shade of the real deal, in reality. Aomine was the one who could run where he wanted – was the one who could tightly grasp the world in his hands. ( And crush it. )

Crush the world. Crush his world. The sun set on the Generation of Miracles after the rose-tinting clouds of Teikō dispersed. Kuroko and his one-person parade had begun to move. Kuroko closed his eyes.

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**P . A . R . A . D . E**

* * *

Hi. This could technically be considered a string of drabbles, and they're not going to be in chronological order. The stanza of lyrics at the beginning is from the song パレード ( _Parade_ ) by the Japanese folk rock band CHABA. The song was also featured as the 12th ending theme to _Naruto_. It's been one of my favorite songs for a long time, but it wasn't until earlier this week that I thought the string of words could be drabble/story prompts. Seeing as I've been having a bit of a writer's block lately, I thought this would be good for me.

If you're interested in more stories I have planned for the future, head over to my profile and click the link labeled 'Future Story Ideas!'.

Reviews are always appreciated.


	2. A D V E N T U R E S

**P . A . R . A . D . E**

{_ Burning heart of love, crossing a thousand dreams._  
_Running as you please, gripping the world in your hand._  
_The clouds disperse, the sun sets again . . ._  
_A one-person parade begins to move. _}

o1.

**_Adventures._**_ Lucky days. Heart rate. Ascending.  
Light and Dark. Encounters. Life. Mutual love._

* * *

When Aomine showed up in Kuroko's homeroom that morning, Kuroko wasn't sure what to think. Classes were just about to start, but the teacher wasn't around yet. The other students were buzzing with anxiety and excitement at seeing someone as out of place as Aomine ( they found it hard to believe that his dark skin and scalding blue eyes were _natural_ ); the girls were all tripping over themselves with blushy faces and giggles, and the boys were in awe at the laid-back, admirable air he gave off, leaning in the slid-open doorway as he was.

Kagami was immediately out of his seat. "What're you doing here, Ahomine?" he exclaimed with a pointed finger. The students were stuck between looking at him and looking at the tanned teenager. "Are you _trying_ to get in trouble? How the hell did you get here, anyway?"

Aomine scoffed. "You're being too loud, _Baka_gami." he retorted, emphasizing the insult.

Flames spurted out around Kagami.

"I'm here for Tetsu, so it's none of your business."

"Why you – "

"Kagami-kun," Kuroko's voice was level and placid, despite the uncomfortable situation unfolding. The class fell silent, and for once, all eyes were on the blue-haired teenager. It was a first that made him almost uncomfortable. He stood from his chair, giving Aomine a wary glance. "You shouldn't be here, Aomine-kun. School is going to start soon, you'll be late, and then get in trouble." he said. "You shouldn't get others involved in your antics."

The unruly boy gave a loud yawn that clearly stated he didn't care, and then a pointed look to Kuroko. The pale teenager sighed after a long moment of a staring contest.

"Wha – Kuroko, you're just gonna _go_ with this bastard?!"

The other students forgot about Kuroko again as soon as he was gone. When roll was called, Kagami didn't say anything.

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.

.

"I just felt like getting out for the day." Aomine said in reply to the poignant look that was subtly ( but constantly ) tossed his way.

At first, Kuroko chose to remain silence, as he knew that was probably the best way to get a reaction out of the other teenager, but that was a hardly nice thing to do. He almost sighed. "You felt the need for me to come along?" he asked. "Aomine-kun truly is a delinquent."

There was no reply. Kuroko was surprised. . . . And on the brink of self-consciousness.

The pair passed by his house to drop off their stuff, lucky to have missed his grandmother, who Kuroko figured was at the store for groceries. After changing out of uniform, they set out on bikes for no real destination in particular, though he had the feeling that Aomine was leading them somewhere. The tense atmosphere had melted into the warm, pleasant weather and before Kuroko knew it, they were laughing about something absolutely ridiculous that had nothing to do with anything.

Their first stop was a large pond that laid to the side of a dirt trail that they found behind a park. Freshwater greenery wildly grew around the fringes of the pond while lily pads littered the clear, undisturbed surface of the water. The glitter from the sun danced along the gentle waves caused by the light wind and the first thing Aomine did when they got there was leap off his bike and tear off his shoes.

Kuroko watched him, not realizing that they had completely switched moods. Aomine's energy was contagious and so he found himself taking off his shoes and rolling up his pants as well.

"Damn. I'm glad the grass is softer than it looks." Aomine said, rolling from side to side a few times. "I can't believe you dragged me down like that!"

Kuroko scoffed lightly. "If Aomine-kun wouldn't have tripped me, neither of us would be drenched."

The tanned teenager began to protest, but Kuroko flopped his hand onto his face instead, making him yelp indignantly. "Tetsu, you bastard!" he exclaimed, throwing the pale hand off of his face. He was on his feet immediately, looming over Kuroko. The shine from the sun illuminated Aomine's outline, and for a moment, the blue-haired boy was breathless.

The two of them ended up dunked in the pond again.

Their next stop was a hilltop that rested below a shrine.

The mood between the two of them was a bipolar mess of mountain tops and valleys; it was enough to disorient Kuroko who tried to understand why he was cutting class with someone he . . . hardly spoke to outside of basketball these days. Then again, it was like that for he and all the Generation of Miracles. They barely got together, but when they did end up in the same place, basketball was the only thing they could find themselves comfortable with – not even the flamboyant Kise could change that.

It was a start, Kuroko decided.

"I think it'd be better to come here during a festival or something." Aomine commented, rubbing the nape of his neck and glancing at the sky.

The blue-haired boy kept his pale gaze trained on the expanse of town laid out before them. "I like this better. During a festival, too many people would be coming to hilltops like this for a better view." he murmured in explanation.

Aomine slid his look down to the other teenager without moving his head. It would be hella embarrassing if the shadow caught him staring. He had to admit, he liked this better too; the privacy along with the peaceful atmosphere was soothing. Even if he liked the fast-paced grit of street basketball more than anything in the world these days, there was something about being with Kuroko that slowed his world down and actually made it more . . . enjoyable.

He shook his head of the thoughts and jet for the stairs that led up to the shrine.

A panting Kuroko nearly passed out at the top.

"Y'know I'm not gonna tell you, so don't ask no more, alright?" Aomine chided good-naturedly while looking over his shoulder and showing Kuroko a wolfish grin. His expression grew brighter when he saw a trace of a petulant scowl on Kuroko's face.

_Aomine-kun knows Tokyo well for how big it is. _Kuroko couldn't help but think. The school day was out and they had scoured at least half of the city by then, it felt like.

While they were at one of the many visited parks, Aomine was complaining about how Satsuki would probably chew his head off for cutting class; Kuroko held that this "field trip" was his idea in the first place. Banter started up, and then they were on their bikes again. He still didn't know where he was being lead.

It felt so easy in the situation; playful banter, teasing, laughing, running, riding . . . breathing. Living. For once, Kuroko looked back on his middle school days with a certain fondness where those rose-tinted clouds still littered the dusky sky. He wondered if Aomine ( or any of the others ) did too.

They ran around all day, going from place to place aimlessly and Kuroko wondered if there really was anywhere they were going after all.

He got his answer at the Shibuya Station while they admired the bronze statue of Hachikō.

"Might not seem like it, but I've always liked coming here." Aomine told him quietly. "My mom brought me here for the first time when I was six and told me about the dog. She said I laughed and smiled and said I wanted a dog like Hachikō because he would always be there."

The pair took a seat on a bench next to a fountain, both of them still gazing at the statue. "A little while after that, I started playing basketball in the courts near here, but I'd come around every day before I went home to talk to the statue. I started going to Teikō, and then I met you. Stopped coming to see the dog for a while, but I figured it was alright y'know? Those days, man . . . They were pretty alright."

Kuroko wasn't used to Aomine talking about Teikō; it just wasn't a topic either of them liked to bring up. He peeked up from the corner of his eyes to look at his companion to see that Aomine had a distant look in his dark blue eyes.

"I think I stopped coming to see Hachikō because I got you instead."

"Is Aomine-kun comparing me to a dog?"

The tanned boy sputtered, a dark red tinging his cheeks. "I – I didn't say that! And – And that's not even wh – what I meant!"

The smaller of the two let out a soft laugh and turned to look at his friend. "I think I know what you mean."

Still blushing from embarrassment, Aomine wrenched his head to look back at the statue. "Y – Yeah . . . I mean, you . . . You were always waiting for me . . . Even when I didn't come back." He was clearly struggling for the right things to say and Kuroko was getting much amusement out of it.

"But you came back eventually." he pointed out.

The other's reply was immediate. "You brought me back." His head turned towards the sky. " . . . Thanks, Tetsu."

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Riko and Momoi ended up chewing out Kuroko and Aomine respectively when neither of them had shown up for practice the previous day. When they asked where they were all day, they replied with the same answer.

"It was an adventure."

o1. ADVENTURES

- end -

* * *

I've noticed that my writing style here is . . . weird. I think it's going to be pretty uneven throughout this whole deal, but it's more because I'm experimenting ( and my writing style is usually really inconsistent and I hate it ). Anyway, the ending of this one didn't exactly turn out how I thought it would, but I think I'm a bit satisfied with it. I can't wait to start on the second one, which will feature Midorima!

Until then, I hope you subscribe and leave a review!


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